Anything

Question

What does 'How strange it is to be anythingat all" mean?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Just what it says, as it stands.  What words do you not understand?

Synonym · Answer

'anything at all' what does this actually mean? Does it mean nothing?

How strange it is to be 'nothing'?

CalifJim · Answer

SynonymWhat does 'How strange it is to be anything at all" mean?

I suspect this refers mostly to conscious beings, though others may be included. It most likely means, How strange it is to be a conscious being in the universe.

You might think of being 'anything' as the logical disjunction of all kinds of being. Including even inanimates, this would be something like the following:

to be anything at all = to be me, or to be you, or to be a president, or to be a prisoner, or to be Chinese, or to be French, or to be a horse, or to be a spider, or to be a cat, or to be a whale, or to be a butterfly, or to be a lake, or to be a tree, or to be a stone, or to be ..., or ..., or ..., ...

The original exclamation is a sort of wondering at the mystery of being any of these things.

Do you get the idea?

CJ

Synonym · Answer

Thanks CJ for trying your level best to make me understand.

CalifJim · Answer

Your way of expressing your appreciation suggests that I have failed!

CJ

Synonym · Answer

Not at all Mr. CJ <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>.  Now, I  will be reading it over and over again to get the maximum out of it.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Umm...suspicions confirmed, CJ?

Synonym · Answer

This site always has been very useful to me  as  writing is my passion.  I will always be thankful to all of you who bear me patiently.

Anything

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